The present invention relates to computer software used to organize information on a Web site, and more specifically it relates to a content management system on a network that enables individual information providers to add topics and links to a central location that provides end-user access to content on the network.
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Zellweger, Paul. xe2x80x9cWeb-based Sales: Defining the Cognitive Buyer.xe2x80x9d International Journal of Electronic Markets. Vol. 7 No. 3, 1997. pp. 16-22.
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xe2x80x9cTo the outside world, a home page on a Web-site represents the primary way to access information on a site. Yet, the standard access methods, such as directory services and hypertext link structures, are very ineffective in representing detailed information that can be found on specific pages within the site. To overcome this problem, home pages often refer end-users to search engines, but this retrieval technology only compounds the issue by providing a xe2x80x9cblack boxxe2x80x9d approach that hides details for people who are unfamiliar with what to expect.
The sheer volume of information on most Web sites is one problem. Another problem is that this content comes from a number of different contributors who often maintain it from remote locations. Setting standards on naming conventions and coordinating the links to each provider""s contribution is difficult. Administrators responsible for such web sites need not only a comprehensive way to provide access to detailed information, but they also need a uniform and systematic way for different information providers to supply links to their content.xe2x80x9d
To correct flaws in the uniformity, thickness, and line quality of the figure drawings, FIGS. 1 through 12c on 15 separate sheets are resubmitted with this amendment. In addition, all numbers and reference characters in FIGS. 12a through 12c have been redrawn to adhere to the minimum height requirement of xe2x85x9 of an inch.
A content menu provides an excellent way to provide end-user access to highly detailed information. Zellweger discloses methods for creating the content menu using an open hierarchical data structure (U.S. Pat No. 5,630,125) that enables multiple paths to reach the same object. To optimize this system for a network traffic Zellweger (U.S. Ser. No. 09/080,100) discloses how to use this structure to create and manage a network of HTML links on a Web-site. Zellweger (U.S. Ser. No. 09/080,102) also discloses how to generate a Java-based content menu that can be applied to a Web-site. But neither of these disclosures teaches how to make this technology control the way content providers add links to the underlying menu structure.
Polnerow et. al. (U.S. Pat No. 5,918,227 Jun. 29, 1999) disclose an on-line directory service which uses search routines to locate relevant content in a database. The disclosure does not reveal how content was added to the database. On the other hand, Chan et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,107 Apr. 6, 1999) discloses a method for making directory services uniform by employing an object class that defines properties that end-users can browse. However, Chan et. al. does not organize these properties in a structure like the open hierarchical data structure nor does it prompt providers to link such properties in a structure that organizes the information. And lastly, Goodman (U.S. Pat No. 5,146,403 Sep. 8, 1992) discloses a self service method for end-users to change their address in a public area such as a post office or shopping center, however, the disclosure does not link it to a structure that organizes its information.
This present invention discloses how to employ an open hierarchical structure to organize content on a Web-site and provide a centralized end-user access to information. More importantly, the present invention discloses how to build and maintain a content menu that enables individual information providers to add topics and links to content they maintain.
Establishing a self-service content menu in a network, like the Internet, has far reaching implications. The lack of effective directory services makes access to detailed information difficult. The content menu overcomes this limitation by providing a scalable retrieval technology that can handle detailed content on a Web-site, an Intranet site, and, most importantly, on a portal site that aggregates sources of detailed information on the network. By enabling individual content providers to contribute to the growth of a content menu, the present invention overcomes one of its own limitations, its expensive labor-intensive construction.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide the means for creating and maintaining a central end-user access method that links to electronic documents stored in a network like the World Wide Web.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for building and maintaining a content menu that links to electronic objects throughout a network.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method to that enables a Web administrator to program input menus that control how individual information providers to supply detailed information about content that they maintain on their servers.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method for enabling individual information providers to access a central end-user access method and add links to their content
The objects of the invention are attained by providing the methods and apparatus for building and maintaining a content menu, derived from an open hierarchical data structure, that manages links to electronic objects in a network. An administrator employs the present invention to establish a central access method for end-users that enables end-users to browse content details and access these objects. Administrators use the present invention to create a self-service method that enables individual content providers to link their content to a central source.